The Bloody Path
by monkeymoe
Summary: New Moon – AU. EPOV Alice comes to Edward with a vision of Laurent finding Bella in the meadow. When he returns to Forks, he finds something very different from what he expected.
1. Chapter 1

To start, I own no part of Twilight. Haven't, don't and won't. This is just a crazy little idea I had; a what if.

This has probably been done before. I hope not, but I honestly don't venture into the AU world very much. I mostly go with the All-human route.

This starts after Edward left in New Moon. After Bella's friendship with Jake really starts. Sort of a retelling of Chapter 10. It was a _very_ random thought I had one day. Why didn't Alice see the meadow? And what kind of story would we know if they wolves were just a beat later?

And so my mind took off. I decided to actually write it down and share it.

Short chapters. All are planned to be Edward. Hopefully updated regularly. I don't expect this to be a long story and I don't see myself going further than the 'what if.' But I guess we'll see.

If this isn't your kind of thing or you don't like where it's going; I understand. I just couldn't hold it in any longer.

And in case anyone wonders:

"_This text style will be thoughts._"

"This is like normal."

I tried to keep them sorted, but some may slip by. I'm done talking now.

* * *

The Bloody Path

Chapter 1

"_This is really happening. No, stay strong. You can do this._"

The metal zipper clicked slowly. The girl's necklace rattled softly with her shaken breath.

Not that either of them could hear it. No, they're too preoccupied with their own loud thoughts.

"_So soft, so soft. Keep it together._"

Keep it together. I wanted to laugh. I didn't have to have my sister's ability to know that will not happen. His thoughts have been loud and obscene since they first stepped foot in this hotel. He was too focused on himself to have the possibility of 'keeping it together' enough for her enjoyment.

Sure enough, it was over a few short minutes later. His thoughts were a mess of amazement and excitement to do it again. She tried to keep her thoughts off of her disappointment, but failed. She spent most of their remaining time wondering if it would have been better with another boy from school. Almost simultaneously, his thoughts turned to what it would be like with another girl.

They really were quite a match. I would have laughed if it had been at all possible. For some time now, don't ask me how long exactly, I have seemed unable to even manage a small smile.

For the first time in all my added years, I wished I could sleep.

Before I could easily find something to do. I could run. I could read. I could even go out and watch the people, - the humans, - and pretend I wasn't so different from them.

But recently I was faced with the hard truth. I am not human. I can not pretend to be. My adopted father's idea of interacting with them, has only made us stand out further.

I wish I could sleep, so I could dream. I wish I could dream, so I could dream of her.

And like it always does, my still heart cracks and loses another piece.

I will live as long as I know she's alive. When her final day comes, I figure roughly seventy to eighty years from now, it will be my last as well. I wish I could say I would follow her, but I know my soul is too far gone for that hope.

For now I will pretend. I will close my eyes like I am asleep, I will remember the only good moments of my too long life, and wait for the time to pass.

I consider lying here until the hotel management becomes worried and comes up to my room, only to find a still, cold body.

The death of Edward Cullen.

Maybe I could convince Carlisle to let them bury me. To lay in darkness and silence, in the place I should have been long ago.

My phone began to ring across the room; Alice's ring-tone. I didn't bother to get up and answer it. I figured with her timing, it was to only tell me my idea wouldn't work. I decided against it and the ringing stopped.

Alice is against all of my self destructing ideas. Actually, all of the Cullens have been against me lately. When we first left, I tried to stay with them. But since they were all able to leave with the love of their... existence, it quickly became uncomfortable. I had to leave before I began to hate them.

Or worse... before I went back to Forks.

And so my days pass; who knows where, for who knows how long. None of it matters anyway.

I listened to my phone beep until the battery finally gave out some time ago. I heard people come and go. I listened to the thoughts of housekeeping as they wondered why this room remained booked, but never needed anything. One even vowed to mention it to her boss if she didn't see any sign of life by tomorrow.

Whenever tomorrow was. It could be now, it could have been days ago. Nevertheless, no one ever stopped by. And so time passed.

The sun would rise and the sun would set; I lost count of how many times.

I was content to remain; to not be disturbed or be disturbing. It was my decision.

That was my first mistake.

I heard her singing in her mind, long before she reached my door. She knocked lightly, but only to be polite. I may be the fastest in the family, but Alice was still fast enough to activate a key without a human knowing it.

I opened my eyes and walked to the door at a slow pace. Alice, of course, knew what I was doing.

"_Open up, Edward,_" she said in her thoughts. "_You can't hide forever._"

"I already know I can't." I opened the door to reveal her smiling face. It was almost enough for me to smile back. "Your phone call the other day proved that."

Her smile dropped and the sadness in her eyes, that I did not notice at first, became more pronounced.

"That was almost two weeks ago," she said sadly.

That would explain her visit. My phone must have died shortly after that. Alice knows better than anyone, there are ways around her visions. I suppose it wouldn't be too hard... I stopped that thought. I was next to deciding.

But Alice's thoughts never turned towards that possibility. She continued to sing in her head.

"Alice?"

"Yes?" The singing never stopped, but a few broken sentences were added to the mix.

"_A,B,C,D,E,F,G... he will be so... H,I,J,K,L,... I can't keep it from... M,N,O,P,Q,R... if only I could see-_"

"Alice!" I yelled. "What are you hiding?"

Her mind went silent as she carefully chose her words.

"There's something you need to know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Again, I own nothing. No part of Twilight or the ****_slightly_ re-worded part from the book New Moon.**

**Not too much to say. Still just playing around here.**

**Thank you to whoever continues reading. It's been nice to see people _do_ understand my way of thinking. :)**

* * *

The Bloody Path

Chapter 2

_There's something you need to know._

_There's something you need to know._

_There's something you need to know._

Her words were on repeat in both my head and her's. I didn't ask. It was part fear, but deep down I knew. I couldn't ask because I knew what she would say.

"Edward, I'm sorry. It was so last minute." Her mind flashed to the trees in a meadow. No, in _our_ meadow. "By time I saw it, it was too late."

_Too late._

_Too late._

_Too late._

More cracks on my heart began to form. I wanted more than anything to pretend I didn't care; to walk away never knowing what Alice has seen.

But I couldn't.

"Show me," I finally said.

_She stood in the sad remains of our meadow. Her shoulders were hunched. Her eyes reflected the same pain and defeat I was feeling._

Oh my love, I never wanted this for you.

_Even through a vision, I knew she wasn't alone before she did. Her head snapped up as she gazed in question at the figure across the field from her. It took her only a second to recognize him. She seemed almost relieved._

"_Laurent!" she said._

_His head tilted slightly. "Bella?"_

"_You remember."_

"_I didn't expect to see you here." He began to step closer to her._

I growled before I could stop myself; not that it would do any good.

"_Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska."_

_He stopped again to study her, before nodding._

"_You're right. I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect... When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd move on."_

"_Oh," her pain was evident. "They did move on."_

What was I thinking?

"_I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a pet of theirs?"_

"_Something like that."_

_He hummed and did a quick survey of their surroundings. "Do they visit often?"_

"_Now and again," she lied. "The time seems longer to me, I imagine. You know how they get distracted."_

"_The house smelled like it had been vacant for a while."_

Please, no. I silently begged her to run, even though I knew he would catch her anyway.

Fight Bella.

"_I'll have to mention to Carlisle that you stopped by. He'll be sorry they missed your visit." She paused. "But I probably shouldn't mention it to... Edward, I suppose. He has such a temper... well, I'm sure you remember. He's still touchy about the whole James thing."_

Oh my Bella, please. Don't waste time defending me.

"_Is he really?"_

_She nodded as he took another step. "So how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?"_

_He paused with a hint of a smile. "I like Tanya very much. And her sister Irina even more... I've never stayed in one place for so long before, and I enjoy the advantages, the novelty of it. But the restrictions are difficult... I'm surprised that any of them can keep it up for long. Sometimes I cheat."_

"_Oh," her voice shook. "Jasper has problems with that, too."_

"_Really? Is that why they left?"_

"_No, Jasper is more careful at home."_

"_Yes," he agreed. "I am, too."_

"_Did Victoria ever find you?"_

No, Bella! Run! Please!

"_Yes. I actually came here as a favor to her. She won't be happy about this."_

"_About what?"_

"_About me killing you. She wanted to save that part for herself. She's sort of... put out with you, Bella."_

"_Me?" she gasped._

"_I know, it seems a little backwards to me, too. But James was her mate, and your Edward killed him. She thought it more appropriate to kill you than Edward – fair turnabout, mate for a mate. She asked me to get a lay of the land for her, so to speak. I didn't imagine you would be so easy to get to. So maybe her plan was flawed – apparently it wouldn't be the revenge she imagined, since you must not mean very much to him if he left you here unprotected."_

_She visibly flinched as he took another step towards her._

Don't listen to him. You mean more to me than anything else. Your life means so much more to me than my own.

"_I suppose she'll be angry, all the same."_

"_Then why not wait for her?"_

_The bastard grinned. "Well, you've caught me at a bad time, Bella. I didn't come to this place on Victoria's mission – I was hunting. I'm quite thirsty, and you do smell... simply mouthwatering."_

"_He'll know it was you. You won't get away with this."_

Damn right I'll know. That's it, Bella. Keep fighting.

"_And why not? The scent will wash away with the next rain. No one will find your body – you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other humans. There's no reason for Edward to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you, Bella. Just thirst."_

"_Please," she begged._

"_Look at it this way, Bella. You're very lucky I was the one to find you."_

"_Am I?"_

"_Yes. I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise. Oh, I'll lie to Victoria about that later, naturally, just to placate her. But if you knew what she had planned for you, Bella... I swear you'd be thanking me for this."_

No, no, no. Please, God.

_He took another step towards her and ran his hand down the side of her face, before grasping her neck._

"_Goodbye, Bella."_

_Her scream was instant as his teeth sank in to her soft neck._

And so was mine.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own any part of Twilight. Just having a little fun with the story.**

**Moving right along. This probably won't go the way anyone expects it to... or maybe it will. Anyway, this scenario is still playing along in my head. Even I'm beginning to wonder where it's going.**

**Thanks again.**

* * *

The Bloody Path

Chapter 3

I gasped unnecessary breaths. My heart sent out beats of pain; beats I never thought I'd feel again.

She's gone. My beautiful Bella. She's gone and it's all my fault.

"Edward." Alice wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I was knelt on the floor, my forehead lying on the old, worn out hotel carpet. I couldn't remember my knees giving out. "I'm sorry."

"How long ago?"

"A day. Maybe two."

"And Charlie?" Oh God, Charlie. He'll be devastated. He never said much and wasn't a man of emotion, but he did love his daughter. She was his life; much like she was mine.

"He doesn't know yet. He thinks she's spending the weekend with Jacob Black. I won't know how he reacts until... until someone finds her."

"If they find her," I corrected her.

My Bella was all alone, with only _dogs_ to keep her company, while a psychotic redheaded vampire hunted her.

It was my fault she was alone. It was my fault Victoria wanted her dead. It was my fault Charlie wouldn't get the chance to walk his only daughter down the aisle or watch his grandchildren grow.

I couldn't produce tears, but it didn't stop me from crying out loud.

"I'm so sorry," Alice whispered again. "I wish there was something I could have done."

There was nothing she could do. No, this was because of me. Only I could have stopped this. Only I could have saved her.

That's all I ever wanted. I wanted her to live. I didn't want her to suffer the same existence I have. She was young with her whole life ahead of her. I was an old man trapped at seventeen. It took me so long to find her, so long to have a reason to continue. There was no way she could love me as much as I loved her, or need me like I needed her.

My attempt to save her life, sealed her fate of death. In turn, it sealed my own. Within twenty-four hours, I would be in the company of the Volturi and later, God have mercy on my soul, in the company of Bella. It was decided.

Another mistake.

I watched my death through Alice's eyes. Quick and painless, unlike Bella's. I would have to provoke them more.

The vision changed. My limbs were torn off, slowly, one by one. My neck was snapped apart before finally the fire consumed me.

Much better.

"No," Alice cried as I stood. She looked the closest to tears I have ever seen a vampire.

"I have to."

"Edward, please. If you try to reveal yourself just to make them angry, they'll come after Carlisle."

That stopped me long enough to see what would happen after my death.

Aro would visit to accuse Carlisle of pressuring me into revealing us to the humans. His love for them would be enough for Aro to convince the others. They wouldn't stand a chance.

"Please," she begged again. "I can not imagine what you're going through right now, but I'm begging you, don't go to Italy."

"Alice, don't ask me to move on. Don't ask me to continue on without her. I can't. I was barely hanging on as it was. We both know you would feel the same if it was Jasper."

I hated to see the pain in her eyes with that thought, but somehow, I had to make her understand.

"_If you go, it will be _all _of us._" She tried to hide her reply, but couldn't. It added more guilt to my long list of sins.

"I'm sorry," she said out loud. "But it's the truth. There has to be another way."

Maybe there was.

It wouldn't be enough to redeem myself in the slightest – not that I deserve to – but maybe I could go back to Forks and find Bella ... find her body to return to Charlie. I would give her my final goodbye, go back to the meadow and beg Alice–

"No!" she yelled. "I won't do it!"

"Please, Alice."

"I can't! Don't even ask!"

"I'm not asking, I'm begging."

"Edward, no. Esme will-"

I cut her off. "Esme doesn't have to know."

"She'll know you're dead."

"She'll understand, they all will; you'll help them."

Alice tried to stay strong, but a vision began to form. She would be quick. I didn't want to have an easier death than Bella, God knows I didn't deserve it, but I couldn't ask her to drag it out when it clearly hurt her.

"Please Alice, come with me to Forks."

Her vision cleared before she could answer. Instead she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"I don't like this," she said.

"I know." I rested my cheek on top of her spiky black hair. "But thank you."

_Soon, my Bella. God willing, I will see you again soon._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry for the delay. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing with plenty of time to write, but that's just not my style. Back on track now.**_

_**I once again own nothing. No Twilight. No free time. Just silly ideas.**_

* * *

The Bloody Path

Chapter 4

We walked at human pace through the woods trying to catch any hint of her scent. The further we went, the more unsure I became that we would be able to find her at all. Laurent was sure of himself; he's been at it longer and has been trained to hide human bodies specifically.

When we reached just outside of the meadow, Alice slowed to a stop.

"_I'll stay back here,_" she thought. "_Give you a moment alone._"

I tried to thank her, but no words would come. I could only nod and continue on to the opening.

It was somewhat the same. It looked the same and smelled the same. The rare sun was out today, just as it was the first time we came here.

But it was wrong; it was all wrong.

The loss of Bella seemed to put a haze over the field; or maybe it was just me.

The calm wind picked up suddenly, instantly filling me with her scent. I felt whole for the first time in so long; though it didn't last.

I crossed the meadow to the spot where Bella was standing in the vision. I don't know what I was expecting to find, but I certainly did not expect to see the grass matted down with blood.

There wasn't a lot, but far more than a vampire would have left behind. It was slightly old, with a hint of a light rain.

But it was her's; it was Bella's.

Being reminded of her scent made it easier to find it again. Just a few paces away, a smaller spot and then another one after that.

The more I found, the further apart they became.

I was quickly out of the meadow and walking deep into the woods. The trail of blood continued; only a few drops in each spot now.

Being so close to her blood again, almost sent me into a frenzy; just like when I first met her. Only this time, it wasn't thirst. This time, it was desperation.

Laurent wouldn't have done this.

What happened after he bit her?

Why couldn't Alice see this path?

My speed picked up and I continued on in the forest. I was panting like an old man running a mile, but I've never felt more energetic. The only reason for breathing at all was to keep track of her scent.

"Edward, stop!" I could hear Alice yell behind me.

But I couldn't.

Laurent couldn't have killed her in the meadow. He couldn't have let all of this blood go to waste after working himself up for it.

Why?

And where is she now?

"Edward!" The thundering crack of Alice running into me echoed for miles around us.

"Let me go, Alice!" I couldn't stop; the blood didn't. I had to keep going.

Alice continued to fight against me, yelling both in her head and out loud. "Edward, you can't!"

"It's her, Alice. Something took her."

"I know, I can smell it too. But you're about to cross the treaty line. Once you cross, I can't see you."

She used my distraction to force her vision on me. I watched as I crossed that invisible line, ran a few feet, and everything went black.

"_Please, Edward. Please,_" she thought.

I stopped fighting her, but didn't fully relax.

"What does it matter, Alice? That's going to happen as soon as I find her anyway."

"But that's just it," she argued. "I don't see you finding her."

With those words, I lost all of my fight.

"I have to find her. For Charlie; I have to." My heart ached once again for the man who recently, and rightfully so, became leery of me spending time with his daughter.

"_I keep losing Charlie._"

My head snapped up. "What?"

"I keep losing him," she repeated out loud. "Sometimes he clear, going on with his he's just... gone."

I could see the visions in her mind. Charlie seemed to be doing alright at first; then, just like if I crossed the line, everything went black.

"We have to try, Alice. For him; we have to."

She nodded and walked away from me; following the path as far as she could, before stopping at the line.

"_It continues on quite a way._"

I straightened and took in my new surroundings. "What if we went around the border? Just in case she's on the other side."

I paused for a minute, expecting a vision or comment from Alice.

But all was silent.

"Alice?" I walked towards her. "What do you see?"

"Nothing," she gasped.

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"I can't see us at all."

Her mind was completely blank. The harder she tried to see, the more consuming the blackness became.

"_Something's wrong, Edward._"

Before I could ask, a low rumbling started deeper into the trees; a growling.

I didn't have to smell them to know what was out there, their thoughts were enough.

"_Bloodsucker has a lot of nerve coming back here._"

"You are not wrong, Alice."

I suppose every hunting party has them.

Dogs.


End file.
